How hard could it be?

I found this super cute Christmas countdown. I really want to attempt it. Except I want to be magnetic instead of using those hooks. Wish me luck!

Halloween 2007

Kobe was a scarecrow...and he was SUPER handsome.

Carsyn and Weston were a pirate and a parrot.

We had a great time trick or treating down town and at Trunk or Treat at church!

Tag From Autumn...I guess because she thinks I have NOTHING better to do!

Best thing you cooked last week
Logan's (I didn't cook last week OR this week!)

-If money, time and babysitting were no object, where would you go and with who?
Probably on a fancy shmancy scrapbook retreat...and I'd take my friends.

-When was the last time you cried
About 15 minutes ago...Grey's was sad!

-Five things you were doing ten years ago
1. Um...Junior High!
2. gossiping
3. staying out late
4. wishing I could drive
5. arguing with my mom and brother

-Five things on your to do list today
1. The day is over...but on my list from today, which were unaccomplished:
2. Laundry
3. Finishing Costumes
4. Lesson Plans
5. Iron clothes

- Five favorite snacks
1. Chocolate ice cream
2. Peanuts
3. Twix
4.Gum
5. Chips/Queso

-Five bad habits

1. Not knowing when to say NO
2. Language
3. Procrastinating
4. Biting my nails
5. Not exercising regularly

-Five favorite foods

1. Chocolate Ice Cream
2. Grilled Chicken
3. Niki's corn dip
4. Baked Potato
5. Ramen Noodles


-Top Five places I've been
1. Arkansas
2. Galveston
3. Virginia
4. Pennsylvania
5. Tennessee

- Five favorite memories
1. Seeing Carsyn in the recovery room (both times)
2. Seeing my children after they were born.
3. Seeing my Kobe after he was born.
4. My Papaw
5. High School (well, from like 7-9th grade)

What a BORING life!

So now I tag~Anyone who has a life boring enough to do this!

I've been REAL busy!

This goes with the diaper bag below. A burp cloth, a small bag, and a wipey case completes the set. These were SO fun to make.

This is a bag Niki and I made for a friends new baby. It was very easy.

This is called a 'pillowcase dress.' It was SEW simple! LOL It really was fun and easy! I think I'm going to add a light pink band around the bottom and embroider Addison on it! She'll be TOO cute!

This is another dres I made for Addison. My plans were to embroider a big A on the middle of the chest, but the material is too stretchy. The dress is white with embroidered flowers along the bottom. The ribbons are hard to see, but they are blue and lime green polka dots. (They match a pair of shoes Addie has!)

Sweet Summertime!

I'm usually a "cup is half full" kinda person. But I'm sad to report that I only have 15 days until I go back to work. I really do love my job, but early mornings and cranky boys just don't do it for me!

Here is a snippet of our summer. In case you were wondering what I've done all summer! ENJOY!

Unbelieveable...

Cartyr Weston & Kobe

Matching Polos $20 (on sale)

Cargos $15

Sandals $15

Time spent with my cousin: Priceless!

It is SO hard to believe that Jana and I found out we were BOTH pregnant within the same week. It is also hard to believe that Weston is the older of the boys. Kobe is at least 6 inches and 10 pounds bigger than Wes. It is udderly unbelieveable that Cartyr Weston and Kobe are two years old. WOW...time flies!

Weston: Born February 2005

Wild.

Moody.

Stubborn.

Small stature, huge ego.

Believes he is the boss. (and you're the dummy)

Please bear in mind that Weston is my son. (And I am the nicer, calmer, better half of my sibling.)

Kobe: Born March 2005 (soon to be big brother of Tiger; Do you see a theme?)

Gentle.

A giant teddy bear.

Always ready for a hug.

Calm. (compared to my boys)

A sweet talker. "Sister is gorgeous!" (yea, I'm Sister)

Together, these boys are a perfect pair. Catching them walking so sweetly together, talking about good times was UNBELIEVABLE.

Out of the MOUTH of my children...

Setting: Carsyn and Weston are standing in their room looking in awe. They have about a two foot by two foot area to play in. The rest of the room is scattered with toys. It looks like an IED from Toys R Us went off in their room.

Carsyn: Mom, when is Christmas? *yelling urgently* {because I'm trying to throw the toys from the living room into the hallway near his room}
Me: I don't know, like five months. WHY?
Carsyn: Because I need something.
Me: What could you possibly need?
Carysn: Something............BIG............from Wal Mart!
Me: Seriously?
Weston: Yes, he's REAL serious.
Carsyn: Yeah, very serious.
Me: Ooooooookay!

SERIOUSLY??!! We went in Wal Mart last week, we strolled the boy toy aisles for about 17 hours and they couldn't find ONE single thing they wanted, because they have everything!

Note to Grandparents: Please read this post and come help clean their room, oh around December 15th...just tell help you remember.

Random Thoughts...

WOW...it's been a while...I fully intend to be more consistent. I figure I have the scrapbooks, videos, and tons of pictures, but I'd like to have a blog to remember everything by!

MYSPACE...Okay, I admit to being A LITTLE bit addicted, but I'm an adult, with a brain {mostly}. I'm not sure what rock these parents are under, but those teenagers, with those pictures and horrific words should REALLY be disciplined. I can't imagine letting my teenage daughter have provocative pictures of herself on such a public site...or incriminating comments about being drunk/high. I'd be VERY concerned if boys were making comments about my teenage daughters boobs. Just my opinion...

MY BOYS...are such good kids. They are both asleep. When they are awake they are mostly driving me crazy!

MY NEW NEPHEW...I have the cutest little {BIG} nephew, Kobe. He is such a good kid, and I'm not sure it is fair that BRYAN gets a good kid and I get two little monsters. (If you know Bryan, you know WHY he doesn't deserve a GOOD kid.) I'm getting another nephew! Yippee...I love boys!

Before/During/After

Before:

Before his surgery he was given "goofy juice". Basically a sedative to make the separation part (when the anesthesiologist takes him to the operating room) less obtrusive. At first it was working well. He was EXTREMELY goofy! He was playing hotwheels and giggling. He was DRUNK at four! ;) After about thirty minutes of sillyness he became extremely frustrated. He was inconsoleable and couldn't communicate clearly. It was torture for him and for us. He has NO recollection of any of this, THANK GOD! The anesthesiologist carted him away screaming and kicking. This was the beginning of the drama!!!

During:

During the surgery Carsyn had MANY people waiting in the wings. Praying, crying, making small talk, and just trying to make the time pass. He was taken to the OR at 7:27. The surgery (the incision) did not begin until 8:35. We got hourly updates from Nurse Kathy, who seems more like an old friend. At 1:23 he was out of the OR and Dr. Mendeloff came to tell us that the surgery went well. The growth was larger than they had originally believed, but his heart was as close to normal as ever! He was off of the heart/lung bypass machine (life support), but was still on the respirator. The entire family lined the corridor waiting for the surgical team to wheel Carsyn by on his way to the CVICU. Minutes (which seemed like hours) ticked by before they wheeled him through. After a quick kiss they whisked him up to the CVICU where we went to sit patiently in the waiting room. His precious ICU nurse escorted Chad and I to see him around 2:30. He was off of the respirator, but still hooked up to many iv's and oxygen. He looked well, considering, and I was just relieved to see his precious face!
Carsyn's ICU nurse was happy to see him moving to the regular floor. He was still insistent on wearing his Camo scrubs and was listening to his new CD player...Honky Tonk Badonk. (Thanks Meme for getting it for me at 7am!)This is ONE day post-op. (FRIDAY) He is living the good life. Between spurts of pain he was eating {mcdonald's, compliments of Nana}, listening to music, and basically having ANYTHING he asked for! Which at times was a little extreme. "Meme I'll dry this mess up if you'll go get me a 'good' pappy." (Right now at 3AM on Saturday morning in DALLAS!) The truth is Meme had already gone to the nursery to get a pappy after much insistence from Carsyn. He sucked it for a few minutes, but he wanted the REAL thing!Although he looks VERY well adjusted, these pictures are small snipets between all of the drama he went through. We figured out sometime Friday evening that he was having an adverse reaction to MORPHINE, which is EXACTLY what they were giving him when he seemed to be out of control with pain. He would flail around, hit, kick, scream, say mean and terrible things to anyone within earshot. Some of the things he said were "You don't love me. I'm going to hit you. These doctors are terrible and I'm going to cut them with a sharp knife. Nobody cares about me. Nobody loves me. I don't like these nurses. I'm going to cut these tubes out. You don't even love me at all or you'd make them stop." All the while he'd be grabbing and pulling at tubes and wires. Finally after we realized that the morphine was making him a little crazy, the nurses started giving him different pain meds and everyones life (especially his) seemed much happier!

After:

The chest tube came out Saturday and he was a happy camper. They kept him one more night just to make sure. He enjoyed the last day in the hospital being spoiled rotten, having picnics in the hallway-serving up red doritos (at midnight) and pulling around wagon with Weston.

Spring 2007 {just a few pictures}

Young Love...

There are few things sweeter than young love! Randy and Rilea had a blast at prom! They are SO sweet together. He carried her everywhere because she is less than skilled at walking through wet grass wearing spike heels. She was stunning and her shoes were my absolute fave! Randy was dressed nicely, but those shoes left a lot to be desired. I really think if my date had shown up in those shoes {and I looked like Rilea} I would have sent him packing.

What is even sweeter than Randy and Rilea? Carsyn and Rilea! He *REALLY* likes her...and I think the feeling is mutual. She told me when she first began dating Randy that she didn't LIKE children. I remember thinking, WOW, that took some nerve. A few months ago we were camping at Shiloh (a four wheel drive park...yippee!) and she and I were hanging out around the fire. She again admitted that she didn't like children, but she LOVED the boys! How freakin' sweet, right? Carsyn gets *TOTALLY* giddy when he sees her or someone asks about her.

What can I say? He's a lady's man. At least he has good taste!!!

Interesting...to say the least.

Sometimes kids are REALLY profound. They have insight that we some times look past.

Check this out. http://changes.typepad.com/

This couple, Tim & Wynter adopted their two daughters from China. Dr. Chauvin (Wynter) was one of my professors at SFA and she took a leave to adopt her oldest, Marit. She has since gone back and adopted Mattie. They decided to pack up the bare necessities and go on a journey of sorts to China. The entire story is fascinating, but I love what Marit had to say in their last post!

This is the boys' first swim of summer 2007! What a blast! They insisted that the pool was too cold so they 'swam' in the hot tub! They are crazy!!!


The boys enjoyed a fun swim and then a trip to incredibly pizza. If you have never gone to an Incredibly Pizza, GO! It was SO MUCH FUN! It is like a sup'ed up Chuck E. Cheese. It has a pizza and salad buffet, video arcade, bumper cars, go karts, build-a-bear, mini bowling and mini golf! How freakin' exciting!

This was the day before Carsyn's surgery. He had all of his pre-op appointments. We informed him that he would be having another surgery and he said that it was alright with him. {as if he had a choice}

We really enjoyed our evening. Carsyn was able to do many things that we will not be able to do for a couple of months. {like swimming, climbing and go-karts}

The Journey Begins...

In Kindergarten!



I LOVE MY JOB! I think you know you love your job when you are SO sad to see it end. As I was hugging each of the kiddos as they left today I teared up, SEVERAL times. I mean let's face it, you TRY not to have favorites, but there are just some that steal your heart for one reason or another. Whether it be the little boy who looks and acts (which isn't necessarily a compliment) just like your own child or the sweet little girl you know you'll never have. I was sad to see EACH of them go. I received some of the sweetest cards and gifts from my parents.



SERIOUSLY...I've liked other grade levels. First grade was fun...third grade, well, it was OKAY, but kindergarten was the best!



I had students who started the year not knowing their colors and shapes, SERIOUSLY. They didn't recognize their names, much less write it. Now...after my last day with them, MOST of them can read short books and write short stories. Not because of any one thing that I have done, but because of a culmination of our efforts! It has been truly an amazing journey!



Not to mention I work with the greatest and most knowledgeable team of teachers! *I love you guys!*

Well, Well, Well...

What a sweet, sweet boy! He has no idea what is about to happen. He is so happy, so mischevious, so passionate, and so oblivious to what's about to hit him. He has a smile that can light up a room, a laugh that is infectious, and a heart as big as 'Dallas'.

If you haven't hugged your kids this morning, be sure to do that ASAP because tomorrow isn't a guarantee. It is hard to believe that just two years ago we found out that Carsyn had congenital heart disease. A mere two years ago since Dr. Laird (who we've grown to adore) sucked the life out of us when he said that Carsyn would need open heart surgery. It's been almost two years (will be two years June 8) since Carsyn had his FIRST (which we thought would be his ONLY) open heart surgery. And here we are preparing to go back under the knife. It is SO much different this time. Last time happened so quickly that we didn't have time to worry with every detail. Carsyn is older now, not only will his recovery time be longer, but we will have MUCH more explaining to do. I'm not sure I'm up for that.


During his last surgery Weston was only four months old. I was emotional and *pumping* every two hours so that he would have something to eat. At the time I felt awkward doing that, but at least if filled the hours. Now, Weston is a toddler...a wild man. There is no way he is going to make it at the hospital for a six to ten hour surgery. So I will be left with NOTHING to occupy my time!


They say ignorance is bliss, and I couldn't agree more. I knew it would be painful and worrisome last time, but I knew I would manage. Little did I know how hard it would be to watch my baby hurt. Knowing that; it is physically and emotionally HARD to let them do that to him again. It is an excruciating feeling knowing it has to be done, but not wanting to do it for so many reasons. I know what to expect now, and I think that is the hardest part!




Thursday is the big day, so say a little prayer for my brave boy!

Our Week: Deep breath...

Monday: Our normal crazy morning routine. Screaming, crying, tooth brushing, hair spiking, "I don't want to wear that", fit throwing kind of Monday. By the time I got the boys to school I felt like I had put in a full days work. But I trudged through the day in kindergarten. I left early to bring Big to his first (of many eye doctor appointments). Because NOTHING about Big is normal the appointment itself took about two and a half hours. When the tech was asking Big to identify pictures (because he was acting TOO silly to identify letters) Big couldn't identify any of the small ones. The tech finally asked, and I quote, "Does he even know what a horse and birthday cake are?" I wanted to die, of course he knows, he obviously couldn't see. After a million more tests and a few little fits and a few moments of Big saying things like, "No thanks, not Nemo, I like the news better." Finally we got the diagnosis, two astigmatisms and farsightedness, he'll need glasses. GASP* So, I looked at the glasses at the optical shop, had a minor stroke, and because I'm cheap, opted to look around before I made the big purchased. Of course, Big, being the drama king he is, cried for hours, literally, because he WANTS glasses. We picked up Weston from school, who is fully potty trained! YIPPEE...he didn't have any accidents. What a freakin genius, RIGHT? Well, just as we turned onto our driveway...he peed. You know the rest, supper/bath/stories/bed.

Tuesday: Same 'ol morning routine with a little less opposition. After all, Big knew if he wasn't good his sweet mother wouldn't buy him glasses. WhoEVER put that idea into his head. *wink* I left work early to order glasses. After calling around I decided to get them at the optical shop we visited in the beginning. Then after school we had our photo shoot at Studio 220. If you haven't yet, CHECK THEM OUT! They are amazing photographers. The boys were a little rowdy. The photographer, who is the mother of one sweet girl, kept shaking her head saying, WOW, they are fun. Which I'm sure what she wanted to say was WOW, they are bad as hell, let's get some GREAT pictures so they don't come back for a re-shoot. Two hours later, with most of the walls still standing in the studio we headed home.

Wednesday: Very uneventful. Today was the day to pick up Big's glasses. So, me, Big and Baby venture into the optical shop. After Carsyn woo'ed the lady into letting him see how glasses were made, he tried on his. He looks super cute, and I'll try to post a picture soon.

Baby was super cute after school. He really loves his brother and I am always amazed at how he copies everything Big does. Baby decided today was a changing day. He re-wrote the rules. And when BIG didn't copy Baby...Baby got mad. It was a battle until bedtime. Whew...what a day.

Thursday: T-Ball practice. Big's general stance on t-ball is less is more. The less he has to do the more fun it is. When they are supposed to be fielding balls he stands back and watches. When I tell him to go get the ball he says he'd rather just give the other kids a chance. ugh! He is a good batter. He can hit pretty far, but that running business, well, he'd rather not. Baby, on the other hand, would rather be out there with the big kids showing them some moves. He won't be able to play for two years, but I think he might be my sports star. Big will probably enjoy things like, fantasy baseball.

Friday: I made it to the end of the week. I have to finish getting everything ready for Big's first t-ball game tomorrow. Baby's shirt isn't ready...so I'm scratching around trying to find a team shirt for him! Big is doing great wearing his glasses, so far after two days he hasn't lost or broke them, now that is progress!

Where it began...

Most importantly, I have two boys that I absolutely adore! They are truly a gift from God.

I am a total lurker at WAY to many blogs and I just decided to join the revolution. (the in crowd...YEA!) I have a quirky sense of humor and I am probably WAY to opinionated. I enjoy writing, but do not consider myself a writer...therefore, please don't come at me with grammatics. Afterall, I teach kindergarten...everyone's dream job because it is so easy, right? ha ha

My oldest son is four years old. He attends a very amazing preschool where he has learned SO much! He has a congenital heart defect. If you saw him, you wouldn't dream it in a million years. (unless he was shirtless...which isn't TOO abnormal) He had surgery in June of 2005 and will have another surgery this summer.

The 'baby', who is two, is a bouncy, rambling ball of energy, much like his brother. He adores preschool which makes my life so much easier. He is very social!

I'm trying to decide whether or not to post my childrens' names and totally incriminate myself (and them). If you have any opinions on that (whoever you may be, because I'm sure I have a huge broadcast of viewers) let me know!!!